Wednesday, March 17, 2010

DRIED HIBISCUS FLOWERS

The use "Dried Hibiscus Flowers" (also known as "Hibiscus", "Sorrel", "Rosella", "Karkadé", "Rosemallow" or "Flor De Jamaica") in the kitchen is very interesting. Those lovely flowers grow on a plant which is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae). Hibiscus trees are native to warm, temperate, tropical and subtropical regions. Their flowers are very large and trumpet-like, and their colors range from white to pink, red, orange, purple or yellow.

Due to it's medicinal properties, some people call Hibiscus the "other cranberry". As a matter of fact, it's good to soothe colds, open blocked nose, clearing up mucous, as an astringent, promoting proper kidney function, helps digestion, a tonic, a diuretic and helps reduce fever. It is also very rich in vitamin C.

Nonetheless, I recommend you to be cautious when using those flowers as they have a hypotensor effect on us. It is for that reason that you'd better not consume this flower if you are suffering from hypotension (low arterial pressure).

With "Dried Hibiscus Flowers" one can make tea, syrup/cordial, all kinds of drinks and cocktails. They can also be crushed into flakes and used as condiment (to flavor rice, stews, sauces, ice creams, etc...) or added to cakes, scones or any pastry as well as dessert of your choice and even used as a food coloring agent.

61 comments:

I've heard they are used in Japan when one is sick to increase appetite? I'm not sure if it's true or not though. What I do know is they are pretty. When I was visiting my mom in Hawaii, I picked up some hibiscus flower jelly. It was so delicately flavored and beautiful!

I can add to your list one more thing: if you are sick with bad cough and you bad throught boil some drid Hibiscus with honey and drink it really help... my mom used to give me that three times a day, I have a sinus and my throat always hurt and then i will start a dry cough, she used to dry these flowers and also dries the silky corn hair, then boil them for as a coughing medicine.